"I was convinced that we needed a national body for chiefs."

To mark its ten year anniversary, we asked each of our previous and current Chair(s) to reflect on the biggest milestones of the last decade and what opportunities lay ahead for the future of policing.

In the first of this series, we spoke to Dame Sara Thornton, the first NPCC Chair to take post. Sara oversaw the establishment of the organisation and the roadmap to creating the first national Policing Vision.

What were the biggest challenges in your time at the NPCC?

The biggest challenge was the establishment of the NPCC and building agreement that it was needed.  There had been significant criticism of Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) - some justified and some not - but I was convinced that we needed a national body for chiefs and that we would need to compromise to achieve it.

How did policing and the NPCC change over your tenure?

Police leadership was getting harder over the first four years - budgets were tighter and  better technology remained beyond our grasp, as well as endless frustrations of trying to get everyone to agree on how to work together. However, there were great operational collaborative efforts - the response to terrorist attacks of 2017 demonstrated the value of investment in capabilities that had taken place.

Is there a standout moment from your time at NPCC?

I was proud that we rolled up our sleeves to develop the first Police Vision and a set of priorities for change. Relationships with ministers and officials improved over the time which gave my successors a good foundation on which to build.

How should the NPCC and policing change in the next 10 years?

Over the next ten years the priority is to reconnect with the public at a local level, to raise professional standards and to ensure that policing remains an attractive career choice for capable men and women with a commitment to serving their fellow citizens.